BO BICE "3" CD Review
(by John DeGroff)
Bo Bice's recent project, the aptly name "3", follows on the success of his 2005 debut "The Real Thing" and "See The Light" in 2007. The new project is produced by Bice and D. Scott Miller. Besides Bice on vocals and guitar, other musicians include Bart Walker (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals); Jeff Roach and A.J. Croce (keyboards); Robert Karnes and Matt Ross (bass); Steve Gorman (drums); James Pennebaker (fiddle, pedal steel guitar); Don Kelly (fiddle); Steve Herman (trumpet); Randy Leago (sax); D. Scott Miller (baritone guitar); Derek Wolford and Bice (percussion); and Jonell Mosser, Patrick Mitchell, Melinda Doolittle (backing vocals).
"I feel the new CD is my strongest yet," Bice said in a press release for the project. "Itls filled with a plethora of sounds that show people who the real Bo Bice is."
That's not an empty boast on Bice's part. Way before his American Idol stint, Bo Bice was a working musician. Unlike a lot of alumni from that show, Bice has a solid grasp of who he is as a musician and performer. He's comfortable letting the players around him cut loose, which is extremely refreshing given the fact that if you want to hear great guitar playing anymore, you have to go to blues, jazz, or country. It's certainly not happening in rock...but it's happening on "3", a lot.
"Keep On Rollin'", the project's opener, is a country rocker with a little honky tonk piano. Other tunes that follow the country rock theme are "Good Hearted Woman", "Coming Back Home", "Who Knows What" (which is one of the album's absolute stand outs), "Long Road Back", and "Get On And Ride".
"Long Road Back" has been released as a single, and Bice is donating all of his proceeds from the tune to a variety of flood assistance programs to help victims of the recent Nashville flooding. Just reading the lyrics to the chorus tells you how appropriate this particular song is for garnering much needed support:
"It's a long, long road back from nowhere
We fight like hell sometimes, other days we don't care
It's a long. long road back from nowhere
Change is gonna come, I can feel it in the wind" (Bo Bice)
The best kick-your-teeth-in rocker is "Get On And Ride". This is where Bice made the wisest choice by just letting the musicians on the album loose. Southern rock on steroids-as if anyone ever thought the real thing needed any help in the first place.
The album closes with a ballad entitled "You Take Yourself With You". While most artists would probably want to end a project with something loud and huge, Bice is comfortable and confident enough to let the message of this one song tie the whole of "3" up nicely:
"I hate this town, I can't even count the reasons
Don't know where I'm bound, all I know is that I'm leaving
Down a dusty road that's been calling me for years
Daddy just shook his head, Mama was fighting back the tears
I said time to go, there ain't nothing left but leaving
When you know you know, you just can't fight that feeling
You can climb the highest mountain, go where no one's ever gone
On a crowded city sidewalk, you might find yourself alone
In the middle of the desert, anywhere the wind blows
Son, you take yourself with you, wherever you go". (Bo Bice, D. Scott Miller)
All in all, "3" is the work of an artist who has come a long way. It's country, southern rock, and great ballads all put together by Bice and an incredible group of musicians. Bice true country roots are there. His voice is perfect for the songs he writes and chooses to record. And Bice even jokes a bit about the album title, saying "...don't forget, it's also Dale Earnhardt's number. That's another reason to call it '3'."
For more information check out: www.bobice.com
